Ali Farka Toure

Amazon.com essential recording
This self-titled debut is an amazing collection, spotlighting the Malian guitarist in his full solo acoustic glory for a beautiful, intimate music that recalls American blues. The beauty of Ali Farka Toure lives in Toure's light, nimble touch on the strings as well as his flexible, reedy voice, which both perfectly complement his gentle, ambling rhythmic style. Tastier highlights include the cantering "Tchigi Fo," with haunting call-and-response sung in Songhai, and the oddly pastoral "Kadi Kadi," a sweet folk song about an encounter with a young woman and her gift of a gold chain. The Arabic praise song "Bakoye" is a comely love song that pulses with Ali's low, bubbling fingerpicking over which his voice soars in a lovely bucolic melody. "Amandrai," in both a studio and live version, is the kind of bluesy tune that's made Toure famous and earned him comparisons to Lightnin' Hopkins and John Lee Hooker. And in later releases, we indeed witness the Malian master collaborating with such Western artists as the Chieftains and Taj Mahal, but this loner of a debut features the guitarist's talents in a quietly understated, purely African light. --Karen Karleski

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Average customer rating: This is the blues Dream Team Cool music AFT at his best Fabulous Music Gorgeous, happy, relaxed music.

Talking Timbuktu Ali Farka Touré , and Ry Cooder Manufacturer: Hannibal ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Contemporary Blues | Blues | Styles | Music General | Blues | Styles | Music General | Africa | International | Styles | Music Mali | Africa | International | Styles | Music General | International | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Fusion & World Fusion | Compilations | Jazz | Styles | Music Hannibal Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music General | Blues | Indie Music | Stores | Music Contemporary Blues | Blues | Indie Music | Stores | Music General | International | Indie Music | Stores | Music Africa | International | Indie Music | Stores | Music Pop | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Rock | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Jazz | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music International | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music All Blowout Music | Blowout Music | Stores | Music More Titles at Least 25% Off | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: In the Heart of the Moon Savane Spiritchaser Ali Farka Toure Niafunke ASIN: B00000062H Release Date: 1994-03-29

Tracks:

1. Bonde
2. Soukora
3. Gomni
4. Sega
5. Amandrai
6. Lasidan
7. Keito
8. Banga
9. Ai Du
10. Diaraby

Amazon.com

Talking Timbuktu is a groundbreaking record that vividly illustrates the Africa-Blues connection in real time. Ali Farka Toure, one of Mali's leading singer-guitarists, has a trance-like, bluesy style that, although deeply rooted in Malian tradition, bears astonishing similarity to that of John Lee Hooker or even Canned Heat. It's a mono-chordal vamp, with repetitive song lines cut with shards of blistering solo runs that shimmer like a desert mirage. Toure may be conversant with some blues artists, but it is unlikely that artists like Hooker or Robert Pete Williams ever heard these Malian roots, which makes the connection so uncanny. Ry Cooder, well versed in domestic and world guitar styles, is the perfect counterpoint in these extended songs/jams, his sinewy slide guitar intertwining with his partner's in a super world summit without barriers or borders. --Derek Rath

Customer Reviews:

This is the blues Dream Team.......2007-07-20

"Talking Timbuktu" is one of those CDs where you have an aha moment. Oh yes, you have heard this music before and yet, not quite. Ry Cooder and Ali Farka Toure play beautifully together and truly bring the Mali's music straight to us. This is an extremely listenable CD and well worth the price.

Cool music.......2007-05-13

This is really good music. A combination of blues, African, something I cannot put a description to. Each person has to experience this to see what it means to him (her).

AFT at his best.......2007-04-03

As usual, this is another spectacular disc, only made better by the addition of Ry Cooder.

Fabulous Music.......2007-03-26

This CD is just fabulous and everyone who hears it wants a copy. Very sophisticated yet original music,
soothing and exciting sound.

Gorgeous, happy, relaxed music........2007-03-25

This will make you want to dance. Standouts for me:


"Lasidan" - Gets in your head. It's possibly my favorite song on the album. Touré's voice resonates in the mind for days.

"Banga" - Ali Farka Touré is incredible here on the njarka. The combination of this beautiful instrument, the congo, and the calabash is breathtaking.

"Diaraby" - A fitting end. Lovely.

It's an all-around beautiful disc.


Side note: If you like this album, you should really check out Ali Farka Touré's son, Vieux Farka Touré.

Average customer rating: Hard core Toure A man at peace with himself Probably His Best Nice album "It's my best album ever. It has the most power and it is the most different".

Savane Ali Farka Touré Manufacturer: Nonesuch ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Africa | International | Styles | Music Mali | Africa | International | Styles | Music General | International | Styles | Music General | New Age | Styles | Music International | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music All Blowout Music | Blowout Music | Stores | Music More Titles at Least 25% Off | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Boulevard de l'Independance In the Heart of the Moon Talking Timbuktu Ys Vieux Farka Touré ASIN: B000G1R3BW Release Date: 2006-07-25

Tracks:

1. Erdi
2. Yer Bounda Fara
3. Beto
4. Savane
5. Soya
6. Penda Yoro
7. Machengoidi
8. Ledi Coumbe
9. Hanana Soko
10. Gambari
11. Banga
12. Njarou

Amazon.com

Savane, the great African guitarist and bluesman Ali Farka Touré's final solo studio album, was recorded in his native Mali toward the end of his life, when the artist knew his days were numbered. He spent his last years in his home village of Niafunké, concentrating on farming and family matters, jamming with local musicians of an evening. This impassioned, roots-drenched, mostly acoustic valedictory finds the Maestro's stalking rhythms and high-noon-at-the-crossroads, dusty desert-to-delta vocals in no less than life-summing form. "Soya" (track 5) seems to stand still in a million directions, while "Hanana Soko" (track 9) features a searing njarka fiddle spinning delirious circles around its throaty accompanying percussion. Pee Wee Ellis (sax) and Little George Sueref (harmonica) each manage to make strong impressions while adhering to the groove at hand. Afel Boucoum, a talented younger musician who has been mentioned as Touré's most likely successor (as if such a thing were possible!), graces "Njarou," the last tune. The other players are also at the top of their game, as fluttering ngoni (a West African spike lute) riffs weave in and out and airy female vocals float like a breeze off the river Niger. There are reports that Touré senior sat in on his son's upcoming album and scads of archival material will undoubtedly materialize. But his unsentimental, voluptuously masculine, spirit-guided magic is captured at its best, for all time, in this magnificent farewell. --Christina Roden

Album Description

Toure recorded Savane in the Malian capital of Bamako, as part of a three-disc project dubbed the Hotel Mande Sessions, after the studio in which the albums were cut. Savane is the last, perhaps most eloquent, installment. In concept and execution, the sessions recall teh magical combination of spontaneity and virtuosity that marked the debut releases from the Buena Vista Social Club. Toure offers reverberating, incantatory vocals to accompany his lean, hypnotically repetitive guitar lines.

Customer Reviews:

Hard core Toure.......2007-05-28

I love the hard cut sound compared to lots of other Malian musicians. Highly recommended if you like the blues. Slaves came from Africa and the region of West Africa in particular...blues came from slaves. Its interesting to see the massive musical similarities between the two styles.

A man at peace with himself.......2007-05-10

Ali Farka Toure looks and sounds like a man at peace with himself on this his final recording. The man who turned his back on the popular Afrobeat rhythms of his day, also turned his back on Western recording studios, returning to his roots in Mali, where he set up his own farm and recording studio, nurturing a village and a new generation of musicians. Savane, like Niafunke before, is a straight forward album, accompanied by local musicians, with a guest appearance by Pee Wee Ellis on two selections, and drawing on a wellspring of traditional Malian rhythms. In his music Ali Farka Toure demonstrated the connection between traditional West African music and the Delta Blues. Numerous comparisons were drawn to artists like John Lee Hooker and Lightnin' Hopkins, but he had a sound all his own, and at his peak was a towering figure in the world music industry, inspiring numerous Western as well as African musicians, resulting in the annual Festival in the Desert, which was captured in a 2003 recording on CD and DVD. Ali Farka Toure was also featured in Martin Scorsese's The Blues. For those who would like to sample some of his earlier recordings, I would suggest the recently released boxed set Red & Green.

Probably His Best.......2007-04-30

I guess this is the album that makes people draw comparisons between Ali Farka Toure and John Lee Hooker, because he most closely sounds like him on this CD, but with a West African feel to the music. This is just a fantastic recording, and if you were to buy just one Toure CD, I guess this owuld be the one. I like all his music, but this one stands out more than the others.

Nice album.......2007-03-09

This is a very nice album from Ali Farka Tour. Songs are strong and unique. Highly recommended.

"It's my best album ever. It has the most power and it is the most different"........2007-03-06

If ever an artist embodied the struggle between staying true to his roots and musical exploration, it was the late, great Ali Farka Touré. It would have been easy for him to become a fixture on the international stage playing with anyone he chose and the financial rewards would have been considerable. Instead, he turned his attention to expressing his own culture and exploring the links between it and the surrounding cultures. In doing so he became a local hero and a powerful symbol of national unity.
Although we usually think of `fusion' as a mix between something traditional and something Western, one could argue that Ali was permanently engaged in the twin processes of fusing and distillation most of his life -- although his attention rarely wandered far from West Africa.
"Savane" was a work in progress for several years, but it was mainly recorded at the now legendary Hotel Mande sessions in Bamako, which saw the recording of his sensational collaboration with Toumani Diabate "In the Heart of the Moon" as well as Toumani's own "Symmetric Orchestra sessions", which has just been released.
Every note of Ali's guitar and every sung word on "Savane" could come from no other artist. And yet, this is an album unlike any of previous albums.
There is an unusually international ensemble of musicians including JB horn man Pee Wee Ellis (who has been on most World Circuit albums of late) and Fain S. Dueñas of Radio Tarifa plus ngoni musicians Bassekou Kouyate and Mama Sissoko and Dasy Saré.
Now let's be under no illusions, each piece is bent to the will of Ali Farka Touré but under his distinctive canopy all kinds of interesting and surprising things are going on.
The title song has a ska-like backbeat for the distinctive guitars to spring off and the opening track "Ewly" features bold bluesy guitar offset by harmonica making the blues connection even stronger.
Famously, Ali Farka Touré always maintained he was not influenced by American blues musicians, he was just playing his traditional music. Attempts by musicologists to untangle this tale of origins have mostly come unstuck. One could see this album as a way of stating the external influences in his music or even an attempt to reach out but I think both interpretations are wrong and completely out of character.
Carefully, meticulously and imaginatively Ali reclaims the entire African diaspora music for the people of Africa and in doing so he plants his flag on the entire 20th Century music catalogue.
It would be, in short, an enterprise of lunatic megalomania except that it works and can therefore be described as nothing less than genius.

Average customer rating: Music...as good as it can ever get Another classic Good Album very "West African" Refreshing change Beautiful African Mali Masterpiece

In the Heart of the Moon Ali Farka Touré , and Toumani Diabate Manufacturer: Nonesuch ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Africa | International | Styles | Music Guinea | Africa | International | Styles | Music Mali | Africa | International | Styles | Music General | International | Styles | Music Similar Items: Talking Timbuktu Savane New Ancient Strings Boulevard de l'Independance Dimanche a Bamako ASIN: B000AQ69DG Release Date: 2005-09-13

Tracks:

1. Debe
2. Kala
3. Mamadou Boutiquier
4. Monsieur Le Maire De Niafunke
5. Kaira
6. Simbo
7. Ai Ga Bani
8. Soumbou Ya Ya
9. Naweye Toro
10. Kadi Kadi
11. Gomni
12. Hawa Dolo

Amazon.com

Ali Farka Toure fans expecting to hear another fiery electric blues effort from the African John Lee Hooker are in for a big surprise. Toure's first album after a six- year hiatus is mostly an acoustic duo with kora master Toumani Diabate that draws upon Malian and Guinean folk style from the 1950s and '60s called Jamana Kura, which grew out of the Mande griot music tradition. Both musicians were children at the time this music was popularized and a yearning sentimentality flavors many of the songs, particularly "Hawa Dolo," one of three Toure tunes rerecorded here in that older style. Other surprises abound as well: there are only two vocal tracks from the deep-voice Toure, and much of the soloing is actually handled by the flittering Diabate. Minus a few overdubs by guests like Ry Cooder, the music here were first takes from a jam session in which the two musicians would improvising over the basic structures. Nonetheless, this loose approach matched with the stunning beauty of the playing makes it a treasure worth holding on to. --Tad Hendrickson

Album Description

In the Heart of the Moon is a summit meeting between two world music giants, guitarist Ali Farka Toure and master of the kora-the 21-string gourd harp-toumani Diabate. It is the first newly recorded work from either artist in five years and their first album-length collaboration. More an eloquent, in-depth dialogue than a jam session, In The Heart Of the Moon was recorded during three unrehearsed, improvisatory two-hour sessions at the Hotel Mande, on the banks of the Niger river, in Bamako, Mali.

Customer Reviews:

Music...as good as it can ever get.......2007-08-06

I read from one review that not even 5 million stars could rate this album. I agree. If you are a musician, and you know what it gets to play what these 2 wise monsters of music play, you know that what you have in front of you requires technique, inspiration, and lots of wisdom...

I have heard this CD a million times, and every time I listen to it I just stop whatever I am doing and see myself traveling in some magic world of feelings, conversations. Have you heard "Mamadou Boutiquier"? What a perfect masterpiece! How could in the earth someone just get together, play, and create such a beauty? How can two people, without rehearsing, who have only played once together, who play different music traditions, create something like that? How the song evolves, build its momentum through a progressive intensity, cries out so loud the power of music?

And Hawa Dolo? Ali Farka's song, not one of my favorites, reaches a different dimension in this version. The nostalgic power of this song is difficult to equal.

Kala, Debe, and Kadi Kadi's solos... my gosh! I don't know, I listen to this music and I feel overwhelmed with humility, with admiration to how much these two musicians must know about life, about human beings, about the strings inside us, to do what they just did.

Remember that this is not an improvisation, as Ali says in the cover. They both knew what they were playing, even though they had never played together. They understood a language that for most of us is a mystery.

Thank you Ali Farka and Toumani, the beauty of your work is so inspiring!

Another classic.......2007-06-27

Need I say more-this album is a keeper. Might not be as catchy as Talking Timbuktu. Nonetheless, beautiful and powerful.

Good Album very "West African".......2007-05-16

West Africans will not deceive you with their music FROM ANOTHER world Ismael Lo; Toure Kounda.They are one of kind Ali Farka Toure is one of this Musician who will take you somewhere else.This album is good for driving for a quiet night with your friends at your place.You will not be sorry to have it in your collection.

Refreshing change.......2007-05-13

Well chosen selections provide a refreshing change from the ordinary. It doesn't matter that I didn't understand the language, I could understand the music. Bluesy ballads with gutsy rythmns.

Beautiful African Mali Masterpiece.......2007-05-04

I'm really baffled by the few who trashed this CD. It has no "three chord progressions". The truth is worse than that. All the songs are two chord progressions except the last piece which would be a three chord progression if it weren't for a bridge. True Ali Farka Toure's other CD's can get tiring pretty fast, he is on this CD to basically provide a rhythmic background to Toumani Diabate's Kora. So much so, I can't believe it's even considered a Toure album. This is Toumani Diabate's music all the way and he leaves little doubt that he is by far the finest Kora player ever. I found it anything but bland. Maybe their stereo isn't operating properly. Maybe it's critics threw it on and went in another room and lost all that high end flurry of notes that come blazing across the rhythm section. In the end, maybe it's just the different way people listen to music. I have 3 other Farka Toure CD's and this one leaves the others in the dust. An excellent CD for anyone with a taste for the music of Mali.

Average customer rating: sweet sounds two great CDs Farewell to the Master. Let There Be Songs to Fill the Air. Guitar playing for the ages.... Another 2 Cool cd's from Ali Farka Toure

Red & Green Ali Farka Touré Manufacturer: Nonesuch ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Africa | International | Styles | Music Mali | Africa | International | Styles | Music General | International | Styles | Music General | New Age | Styles | Music Similar Items: In the Heart of the Moon Savane Radio Mali The Source Niafunke ASIN: B0007PLKZC Release Date: 2005-05-10

Tracks:

1. La Drogue
2. Ali Aoudy
3. Cherie
4. Timbindy
5. Laleiche
6. Ketine
7. Laisse les Phases
8. Baliky lalo

Tracks:

1. Sidi Gouro
2. O Kata Gouna
3. Devele Wague
4. N'timbara
5. Zona
6. M'baudy
7. Petenere

Amazon.com

Malian superstar Ali Farka Toure is often described as a bluesman. Although he was certainly inspired by the recordings of John Lee Hooker, he was also saturated from birth in centuries-old parallel traditions that had evolved in his homeland. Incontestably one of the world's greatest guitarists, Toure's implacable sense of rhythm is equaled by an intuitive yet extroverted grasp of modal melody. As he is now semi-retired, the reissue of these long out-of-print recordings is a special cause for celebration. Known only by the color of their album sleeves, Red and Green were the final two of seven vinyl LPs released by the French Sonodisc label between 1975 and 1988. Both are uncompromisingly acoustic; Toure¹s wailing, moaning voice and picking are supported only by backing vocals, calabash (shaker) or ngoni (a four-string guitar.) But these simple forces offer oblique insights into the early development of an increasingly private, ever-more-elusive genius. --Christina Roden

Album Description

This double disc collects long sought-after, essential vintage recordings from one of West Africa's most influential artists. Fans of Malian guitar Ali Farka Toure can hear these previously vinyl-only classic tracks, out of print form ore than a decade, that first ignited in the artist dubbed "the John Lee Hooker of Africa."

Customer Reviews:

sweet sounds.......2007-05-04

Wow,this recording is as close to perfection as humanly possible.
I can't find the words to describe the beauty of this music.
Perhaps my tears would suffice.
I could listen to no other recording for the rest of my life and never tire of it...there are treasures to be found within and in between every note.
God Bless Ali Farka Toure and Rest in Peace. You have brought the sounds of Heaven down to us like Prometheus did Fire.
You "Amazonians",do yourselves a huge favor and blessing and make haste to purchase this CD.You won't regret it.
To Andy Kershaw,the BBC Radio 3 DJ who found (rescued) the "Red" LP in a bargain bin in France,I thank you...and God Bless You,too.
I love all sorts of music,but after hearing this and Diabate's kora recordings and Toure's other recordings,a lot of what I used to listen to is now irrelevant. This music is IT!

two great CDs.......2007-03-19

this is a re-release of two CDs Ali Farka Toure made back in the 80's, now available for the time together in one CD package. I bought this at a store in London Heathrow Airport and listened to the two CDs for the duration of my whole flight to Singapore and found the music to be relaxing and addictive. A great purchase, you will enjoy it.

Farewell to the Master. Let There Be Songs to Fill the Air........2006-06-23

Stop reading. Buy this.

But if you want more of a review... I asked for, and received this for Christmas 2005 and it jumped into being my favorite AFT album.

If you're a fan of acoustic guitars in the right hands, if you're a fan of rhythm that crawls into your soul until you realize you've been hypnotized, rocking back and forth on the floor or couch or front porch for the past hour, you should buy this. Ali was an undeniable master of touch and tone. Basically he's playing a guitar that you might be able to sell on eBay for $20 yet his tone is pure magic. It's a singular voice in the world of guitar. All the top-of-the-line vintage guitars or new necks or more frequent changing of the strings or bigger effects racks in the world aren't going to give you this if it's not inside you. What Ali had in his fingers and soul, you either have or you don't.

Here I think are many of the best examples of Ali's brilliance and emotional power. The melodic beauty of a great njarka fiddle player mixed with the hypnotic, rhythmic drive of the glorious drone-lute (the amazing ancestors of the American banjo) players... here it's all happening on one guitar at the same time. This set, much of Red specifically, is where AFT's perfect synthesis of those things occured and came out in one of my favorite music/song/guitar styles of all time.

During the Red & Green years he truly had the high voice that's often favored in various cultures throughout Africa. There are tunes during his middle-aged (and later) years that have a similar sort of mood as some of Hooker's greats from the Chess years like Groundhog Blues, Worried Life or Down at the Landing but Red & Green has none of that. Not that being compared to John Lee is in any way an insult but "the African John Lee Hooker" always struck me as a journalistic shortcut which made Ali seem derivative. That's false. Ali was all his own. He was one of the greats of the 20th Century. Red & Green may be his pinnacle. He was great when I caught him in concert but he wasn't like this. This is something very special to me.

This is a well-rounded art, not a wanking guitar-slinger. Some of his best songs happen right here. Ali Aoudy, for instance. What a magical singer. If these were separate products I'd have given Green 4 stars but since this is one set it's 5 stars all the way.

The world lost a great gift earlier in 2006. Thank You for everything, Ali Farka Toure. Words will never do you justice.

Guitar playing for the ages.... .......2006-06-08

"Red" contains at least 3 of top 10 songs Ali Farka Toure recorded and released in his career. The reason why this disc has always floored me is his guitar. Many have heard "Niafunke", and "Talkin Timbuktu", which contain good guitar playing, but on "Red" he was at the hieght of powers (even if they were unknown at the time). He manages a finger picking style that could easily pass for 2 guitars, and at times even 3. He is able to play the polyrythms on guitar, almost like a translation of Elvin Jones onto guitar. It really is difficult explain what he is doing, but it is addicitive, trance inducing, and essential for guitarists to hear, and more importantly fans of Toure. "Red & Green" is quite different than his later work, there is alot tension here and it isen't at all relaxing, its slightly angry at times, and usually arabic sounding. "Green" was recorded a few years later and contains a few masterpieces, but as a whole dosen't stand up to "Red". Have patience with this recording when it starts to make sense, it's worth it. "Red" was the recording that was mysteriously discoved in a record pile in Africa by a DJ which eventially got him signed to World Circuit records, and the rest is history.

Another 2 Cool cd's from Ali Farka Toure.......2006-05-08

Track listing incomplete on disk 2.

Disc: 2 Green
1. Sidi Gouro
2. O Kata Gouna
3. Devele Wague
4. N'timbara
5. Zona
6. M'baudy
7. Petenere
8. L'Exode

Average customer rating: Totally amazingopolis Mr Toure At His Best! A mellow gem Not as good as Talking Timbuktu Another Farka gem

Ali Farka Toure Ali Farka Touré Manufacturer: Mango ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Africa | International | Styles | Music Mali | Africa | International | Styles | Music General | International | Styles | Music Similar Items: Talking Timbuktu In the Heart of the Moon The Source Niafunke Radio Mali ASIN: B000003QJE Release Date: 1989-08-07

Tracks:

1. Timbarma
2. Singya
3. Nawiye
4. Bakoytereye
5. Tchigi Fo
6. Amandrai
7. Kadi Kadi
8. Yulli
9. Bakoye
10. Amandrai Live

Amazon.com essential recording

This self-titled debut is an amazing collection, spotlighting the Malian guitarist in his full solo acoustic glory for a beautiful, intimate music that recalls American blues. The beauty of Ali Farka Toure lives in Toure's light, nimble touch on the strings as well as his flexible, reedy voice, which both perfectly complement his gentle, ambling rhythmic style. Tastier highlights include the cantering "Tchigi Fo," with haunting call-and-response sung in Songhai, and the oddly pastoral "Kadi Kadi," a sweet folk song about an encounter with a young woman and her gift of a gold chain. The Arabic praise song "Bakoye" is a comely love song that pulses with Ali's low, bubbling fingerpicking over which his voice soars in a lovely bucolic melody. "Amandrai," in both a studio and live version, is the kind of bluesy tune that's made Toure famous and earned him comparisons to Lightnin' Hopkins and John Lee Hooker. And in later releases, we indeed witness the Malian master collaborating with such Western artists as the Chieftains and Taj Mahal, but this loner of a debut features the guitarist's talents in a quietly understated, purely African light. --Karen Karleski

Customer Reviews:

Totally amazingopolis.......2005-08-06

This bad boy rocks the party, not in a violent, infantile way, but in a gentle, solicitous, cradle swaying manner. Not that the party would then fall asleep or anything, such kind of lie restfully, enraptured, dreaming lucid dreams staring at the ceiling. Guitarisms are sublime throughout, sounding incredibly full for such sparse arrangements. His best in my opinion, and who would contradict me?

Mr Toure At His Best!.......2003-12-20

I've owned the CD for nine years, and it has always stayed close to me. This is to my mind the best album available of Toure's music. As stated in the editorial review, it is bare bones acoustic. Ali's voice and guitar cut straight to the soul. He is accompanied by sparse but tasteful percussion.

I recommend this above the Talking Timbuktu album. It is a classic that belongs in every collection.

A mellow gem.......2003-12-09

This is an excellent collection of mellow African blues,nothing is too complicated in this music - really simple, organic sounds with beautiful rythems and wonderful guitar playing.I would recommend Toure to any serious music fan, and this is my personal favourite out of all his albums.

Not as good as Talking Timbuktu.......2003-07-11

Ali Farka Toure best remains Talking Timbuktu, but this one is definitely worth having.

For some reason, A.F.T. is flacked as if his music is the source of the blues. Talk to any bluesmen who have gone to Africa, such as Buddy Guy. It ain't.

There is a lot of conning going on. A.F.T. learned the blues the same way Eric Clapton did.

I hope this inspires listeners to read ethnomusicologists research on the origin of the blues.

Another Farka gem.......2003-01-20

Everything Ali Farka Toure recorded is great. His voice and guitar are one of the things we are lucky to have the oppurtunity to hear.
This cd is in a tradirional mold, close Radio Mali and to the second part of The River. If you like Malian music or the blues, you will love this cd.

Average customer rating: Taj struggles to keep up with Ali Farka Toure Sparkling stars are shining A Gem Great This is just OK

The Source Ali Farka Touré Manufacturer: Hannibal ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Africa | International | Styles | Music Mali | Africa | International | Styles | Music General | International | Styles | Music Hannibal Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music General | International | Indie Music | Stores | Music Africa | International | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Ali Farka Toure Talking Timbuktu In the Heart of the Moon Red & Green Niafunke ASIN: B000000628 Release Date: 1993-06-15

Tracks:

1. Goye Kur
2. Inchana Massina
3. Roucky
4. Dofana
5. Karaw
6. Hawa Dolo
7. Cinquante Six
8. I Go Ka
9. Yenna
10. Mahini Me

Amazon.com essential recording

The source of the Niger River? The source of the blues? Ali Farka Toure is one of the great African guitarists--one who has experimented in the most subtle of ways, seeking inspiration but never creating fusions with other popular music styles. The Source is more roots and less fronds than his Ry Cooder recording Talking Timbuktu; this earlier recording did find him working with Taj Mahal and harmonica player Rory McLeod, but mostly this is a recording with his amazing band, calabash players Amadou Sisse and Hamma Sankare and conga player Oumar Toure, plus a chorus of singers. The emphasis is on the guitar of Toure and the source of the music, the soil of Mali itself. --Louis Gibson

Customer Reviews:

Taj struggles to keep up with Ali Farka Toure.......2006-12-01

Given the success of Talking Timbuktu, it seemed a good choice to team Ali Farka Toure with Taj Mahal, but unfortunately there is very little spark in this recording, with Ali Farka Toure left to carry the load as Taj Mahal seems hopelessly out of step with the music. It was the last album Ali Farka Toure did with American musicians. I suppose it was more a studio choice than it was a personal choice, as Ali Farka Toure long dreamed of playing with John Lee Hooker, which would have been an ideal pairing, but such opportunities are often missed. One is much better served getting Talking Timbuktu or Ali Farka Toure's earlier recordings before he became an international figure.

Sparkling stars are shining .......2006-05-25

This Album is SO wonderful to listen to. Just beautiful sound rining, bouncing... it is hard to put to words. But this CD has some really wonderful sound. A pleasure to have playing while cooking a good meal with a friend, or just quitely kicking back after a long day. Restorative and takes you to a nice place.

A Gem.......2005-05-27

Aside perhaps from the necessary hype to introduce a Malian musician to Western listeners who don't know where or what Mali is, I don't hear much similarity to American blues music in this Ali Farka Toure release. Except maybe the pentatonic scale, but that's used in Japanese and other musics too. And certainly the comparison to John Lee Hooker is bizarre. In this album, Mr. Toure exhibits some serious guitar chops across a wide swath of tempos, rhythms and styles. Most important, his seemingly effortless yet complex guitar playing is employed over beautiful compositions, vocal melodies, percussion and singing. The first track, "Goye Kur" is a tour de force with ringing, fluid chorused guitar, a bright bold vocal chant and melody, rumbling and precise calabash percussion and a haunting njarka line that anchors the whole shebang. Hawa Dolo reminds me weirdly of Ben E. King and the Drifters doing a solemn, yet hopeful prayer song. The solo instrumental, Cinquante Six, has a nice Chet Atkins vibe with its delicate and nimble fingerpicking. Excellent recording, mixing and production top it all off.

Great.......2004-10-14

Yep! you'll like it. This is good stuff, maybe a little bit repetitive if you had to make a comment, but I liked it all the way. Easy to approach, easy to like and enduring.

This is just OK.......2003-07-11

I like A.F.T. but this one let me down. Not as good as Talking Timbukti, in my opinion.

Aside from that, this business of being the 'source of the blues' is a lie perpetrated by over-marketed shills.. For those of you who entertain such notions, take a trip to the library and read some book by some good ethnomusicoligists. Heavy forbid they have to back their statements up with research and evidence.

Toure learned the blues the way Eric Clapton did. By listening to records. That will be obvious to anybody who listens to traditional Malian music.

Average customer rating: MORE AUTHENTIC LESS PRETENTIOUS Niafunke by Ali Farka Toure Unable to use in my slide show Discovering Ali Off the Hook

Niafunke Ali Farka Touré Manufacturer: Hannibal ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Africa | International | Styles | Music Mali | Africa | International | Styles | Music General | International | Styles | Music Hannibal Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music General | International | Indie Music | Stores | Music Africa | International | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Talking Timbuktu In the Heart of the Moon Ali Farka Toure The Source Red & Green ASIN: B00000JFRN Release Date: 1999-06-22

Tracks:

1. Ali's Here
2. Allah Uya
3. Mali Dje
4. Saukare
5. Hilly Yoro
6. Tulumba
7. Instrumental
8. ASCO
9. Jangali Famata
10. Howkouna.
11. Cousins
12. Pieter Botha

Amazon.com

Ali Farka Toure's first album since his 1994 collaboration with Ry Cooder, Talking Timbuktu, makes a convincing argument for the adage that home is where the art is. Recorded in an abandoned brick edifice located between Toure's extensive rice fields and the Sahara-bordering village of Niafunké, Mali, this is the guitarist's most purely African album yet. Local percussionists, a sensuous village chorus, and a lonely one-stringed njarka violin accompany Toure here, replacing the Western guests who've tended to stilt his prior records. More relaxed and less gratuitously ornamental than before (especially when he plays acoustically), Toure digs deeply into spare, loping pentatonic grooves that extend beyond the usual John Lee Hooker blues comparisons into territory older, richer, and more folkloric (and Islamic) than earlier records have approached. --Richard Gehr

Customer Reviews:

MORE AUTHENTIC LESS PRETENTIOUS.......2007-03-04

I LIKED TOURE'S ALBUM HE DID WITH RY COODER, IT IS VERY GOOD. BUT THIS ONE IS BETTER. IT IS MORE TRADITIONAL, AUTHENTIC, MALI'IAN MUSIC, MORE STRIPPED DOWN, RAW, AND TRUE TO WHO HE IS, THESE ARE HIS ROOTS. EXCELLENT CD.

Niafunke by Ali Farka Toure.......2007-02-19

Good music that represents the genre well. However, I actually liked "Talking to Timbuktu" better.

Unable to use in my slide show.......2006-07-13

I bought this cd specifically to use in my Mali-Burkina Faso slide show based on a recent trip. However, since there is something in the cd that prevents the slide show from playing the music on the cd. (??copy block software), I am unable to use it for this purpose. I have used other music cds in the past to enhance my slide shows without problems. This limitation should be made clear BEFORE the purchase is made since open cds are not returnable.

Discovering Ali.......2005-10-17

I was browsing the international section at the local book store, and I just bought niafunke only after hearing the first three songs. I then bought In the Heart of the Moon, which I have to say is equal to or better than niafunke, because of tumani. I have never wanted to try to emulate an artists sound when I make my own music, but after listening to Ali's music I have tried to capture his sound mixed with my own and have created my first song that has been majorly influenced by one artist. i highly recommend diverse international music. Ali Farka Toure is one you need to have.

Off the Hook.......2004-12-31

Ali's throwback to traditional Malian style was a good idea. This guy's guitar style is really cool and perfetly accompanies his tired sounding, yet energetic chanting. Standout tracks are 1,4,5,7, and 10.

Average customer rating: Solid Stuff Great Ali Farka Touré CD...but have your hand on the volume! The original Ali Farka Toure Lost recordings of a world music fave Ali Farka Toure will not let you down

Radio Mali Ali Farka Touré Manufacturer: Nonesuch ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Africa | International | Styles | Music Mali | Africa | International | Styles | Music General | International | Styles | Music Similar Items: Red & Green In the Heart of the Moon Ali Farka Toure Talking Timbuktu The Source ASIN: B00001QEOM Release Date: 1999-09-28

Tracks:

1. Njarka
2. Yer Mali Gakoyoyo
3. Soko
4. Bandalabourou
5. Machengoidi
6. Samariya
7. Hani
8. Gambari
9. (njarka) Gambari
10. Biennal
11. Arsani
12. Amadinin
13. Seygalare
14. Terei Kongo
15. Radio Mali
16. Njarka (excerpt)

Amazon.com

Previously available as a 1996 import on the World Circuit label, this nearly 72-minute collection of recordings were originally made for radio broadcast between 1970 and 1978. As a single collection, this is the finest yet of Toure's slow-burning music, characterized by nimble, expressive guitar playing and strong, expressive singing. Lyrically, the songs are mostly devotionals, praising a loved one, Allah, and various government initiatives (including Radio Mali itself). Half the tunes feature Toure alone on guitar and vocals; elsewhere he is backed by the ngoni's beautiful rattle-buzz, a full choir, a smattering of percussion, and a violin player whose sliding, high-pitched notes echo the fiddle playing of Appalachia. Throughout, Toure's singing has a wider range than you'd expect (considering that he's known as the "African John Lee Hooker") and his bluesy guitar playing is always melodic, modal, and meditative. Toure repeats musical phrases over and over again, subtly changing them. But he never gets fancy for its own sake--his style (which adapts Sonrai, Peul, and Tamascheq techniques) sounds as natural as a babbling brook. Strands of sing-songy, seemingly simplistic melodies wrap around each other, coming together and unwinding like strands of RNA. This is some mind-blowing stuff. --Mike McGonigal

Album Description

One of the most internationally successful West African musicians of the last decade, guitarist and singer Ali Farka Toure was approaching the age of 50 when his self-titled album came to the attention of the world music audience in the late '80s. Since then, he's toured in North America and Europe and recorded with artists such as Taj Mahal and members of the Chieftains. But it was his Grammy-winning 1994 collaboration with Ry Cooder, "Talking Timbuktu," that won him on a larger scale. Inspired by African rhythmic and musical traditions extending back for generations, this album features materials originally recorded for broadcast on Radio Mali from 1970-78, and loaned by the station's archive. It was these tapes that introduced Toure's unique guitar style to the attention of his countrymen. Once available in France on vinyl, these were among the very first commercial records of Malian music. Available briefly as an import CD, this treasurable collection comes to the U.S. at last with major distribution, and arrives as his latest release on Ryko hits the #1 spot on the CMJ world chart.

Customer Reviews:

Solid Stuff.......2005-05-27

Radio Mali was the first Ali Farka Toure release I had ever bought or heard. At the time I was listening a lot to Blind Lemon Jefferson and found some interesting parallels between the two musicians. I like the dry, intimate, non-produced, straight to the microphone sound of Radio Mali. Like Lemon Jefferson, Ali Farka Toure has a deep, resonant and booming voice that equals or betters his guitar playing. My brother noted that some of the songs are akin to Celtic music in that they are built from a single melody line that is repeated with variations. Simple but subtle. I'd use the word pastoral to describe this music, since it is very relaxed in feel and rhythm. For a guitarist, Radio Mali is an endlessly fascinating (and at times, frustratingly hard) batch of songs to play along with. Like Lemon Jefferson, Toure is an extremely deft fingerpicker who relies on just a few basic chord positions (open C in particular) and independent bass and melody to sketch out a very full arrangement with just six strings. His rhythmic sense, and use of some very offbeat rhythms (most likely traditional Malian rhythms) add a great deal of depth and complexity that rewards repeated listening. I just really like this stuff and am glad it was recorded and is available.

Great Ali Farka Touré CD...but have your hand on the volume!.......2004-12-23

I have listened to a lot of Ali Farka Touré, primarily his later works, and especially Niafunké. I must say that this CD was both refreshing and a tiny bit dry. The first track is like a cup of strong coffee first thing in the morning, with Ali and another musician playing a little duet on njarka violins, with Ali suddenly speaking very rapidly and loudly. It sounds like he's introducing himself, as one hears 'Mali' followed by 'Bamako.' There are some REALLY good tracks on this CD, especially Machengoidi, Samariya, and my favorite, Hani. All of the tracks are good, but Niafunké is still my favorite AFT CD. I understand that these are old recordings, and perhaps the mixing isn't the best, but I would really recommend that you have your hand on the volume control while listening to this CD. Ali's voice seems to have gotten better with time. On Niafunké, his voice is a smooth, velvety, deep baritone. On Radio Mali, however, it is significantly more nasal, is somewhat grating, and lacks the beefiness that you hear in Niafunké. The vocals seem to be far too loud in comparison to the instruments, and anyone who is familiar with AFT's music knows that he's not shy about using his voice. On many tracks, the guitars' introduction lull the listener into a trance, only to be violently shaken out of it by Ali's younger, much more nasal voice attacking a high note. This happens several times throughout the disc, and I've often found myself reaching for the volume knob. The music tends to get somewhat redundant. With a whopping 16 tracks, the same instrumentation (usually two acoustic guitars, with an occasional ngoni [not the kamalengoni of the Bambara, but an instrument more similar to the Tuareg tahardent lute]), and Ali's habit of not utilizing more than a few keys, the songs begin to sound very similar. Perhaps the CD just hasn't grown enough on me....but I agree with one of the other reviewers of this CD that this is best appreciated by one who has heard other Ali CDs. I am well accustomed to VERY diverse and unique music, and this CD actually began to bore me a little bit near the end. I think this CD is great for die hard Ali fans. And for those of us less dedicated Ali fans, it's a very interesting compilation of his earliest recordings. Great music to relax to.

The original Ali Farka Toure.......2002-11-19

This is row music, the most traditional of Farka Toure's recordings. when I first heard him, on "The Source", I too thought of John Lee Hooker. This impression gradually faded on "The River" and completely disappeard when I heard this cd.
Farka Toure is an original, and in this cd there is only one track that may be influenced by the blues, which is Hani (track 7).
The rest of the cd is hauntingly beautiful, and rewards each listening with fresh discoveries. In AFT I found a rare instance where a musician's voice and guitar playing rival each other for beauty and skill, with both coming up as winners.
I agree with those who say this cd is better appreciated after hearing other AFT cd's, or for people who have listened to other Malian musicians. I would also like to draw attention to the beautiful liner notes and to AFT's remarkable story of how he became a musician.

Lost recordings of a world music fave.......2001-10-29

Confirmed fans of Mali's famous blues griot should go ga-ga over this treasure trove of his earliest recordings, which spans 1970-1978. And, as someone who has a long-confirmed dislike of Ali Farka Toure, even I have to admit I enjoyed this record a lot. ...I'm not sure what it is about his other albums that put me off -- partly it's just that I find them a bit dry and boring. I suspect what I really don't like, though like is the sense that Farka Toure finds *himself* to be a master musician, and sounds a little stuffy because of it -- sort of like a West African version of Richard Thompson. Of course, I've never met the guy, and he could be a real sweetheart, but that's just the feeling I get from listening to his records. Not this one, though. Among other treats, this disc includes all the tracks off his first album, along with other tracks he made while working as an engineer at Mali's national radio station. What I hear in these earlier recordings is a sense of unsureness, an eagerness to succeed, without being sure how far his efforts will take him -- which comes off as much more endearing than his current status as a "world music legend". There's something to be said for going back to the roots -- even of a roots musician.

Ali Farka Toure will not let you down.......2001-09-28

Fans of Talking Timbuktu will find this to be a rather different experience. While it isn't polished in the way that Timbuktu is, it is thoroughly enjoyable nevertheless. Very much a feeling that one is listening to the sounds of western Africa and Toure's roots as a guitar master. The songs are pleasant and relaxing, though again not as entirely upbeat perhaps as Timbuktu. If you don't have Talking Timbuktu already buy both discs and treat yourself to a variety of Ali Farka Toure!

Average customer rating:

The Best of Both Worlds - Hannibal World Music Sampler - Rykodisc Music Sampler Babatunde Olatunji , Mickey Hart , Michael Case Kissel , Diga Ai , El Gran Combo , Bunnie Brissett , Jorge de Altinho , Lee 'Scratch' Perry , Airto Moreira , and Mahotella Queens Manufacturer: Rykodisc/Hannibal ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | International | Styles | Music Hannibal Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music ASIN: B000F2XJGA

Product Description

2 CD SET //The Best Of Both Worlds - The Hannibal World Music Sampler - The Rykodisc Music Sampler // Disc 1: 1. Crathadh 't 'Aodaich & Zbadba - Mouth Music 2. Loyin Loyin - Babatunde Olatunji 3. Dance Of The Hunter's Fire - Mickey Hart 4. Croc Gossip - Michael Case Kissel 5. Obsession - Mikey Dread 6. Diga Ai - Joanna 7. Asalto Navideno - El Gran Combo 8. Begging For My Love - Bunnie Brissett 9. Mother Don't Cry - Cedella Marley Booker 10. Mr. Simon - Souzy Kasseya 11. Colonel Fraser - Jerry O'Sullivan 12. Ti Citron - 3 Mustaphas 3 13. Ne Mentira Nao - Jorge de Altinho 14. Satan Dub - Lee 'Scratch' Perry 15. Old Man's Song - Airto Moreira 16. Blow, Wind Blow - Dzintars Disc 2: 1. Vente Pa Madrid - Ketama/Diabate/Thompson 2. Liza - Kanda Bongo Man 3. Spirit Of The Forest - Baka Beyond 4. Fote Mogoban - Jali Musa Jawara 5. Thina Siyakhanyisa (We Are Putting On The Light) - Mahotella Queens 6. Dance From Maramaros - Muzsikas 7. Tavasz, Tavasz - Marta Sebestyen 8. Snoshti Sem Minal, Kuzum Elenke - Trio Bulgarka 9. La Mule - Malicorne 10. Mominsko Horo - Ivo Papasov 11. Transdanubian Swineherds' Music - Orbestra 12. Que seria de mi suerte - La Macanita 13. I Go Ka - Ali Farka Toure 14. Jarabi - Toumani Diabate 15. Cuban Connections - Outback 16. Water Drums 1 - Baka Forest People

Average customer rating:

In the Heart of the Moon Ali Farka Toure & Toumani Diabate ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Africa | International | Styles | Music Guinea | Africa | International | Styles | Music Mali | Africa | International | Styles | Music General | International | Styles | Music International | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: Dimanche a Bamako Savane Orientation Kongo Magni New Ancient Strings ASIN: B0009NDLJA Release Date: 2005-09-13

Tracks:

1. Debe
2. Kala
3. Mamadou Boutiquier
4. Monsieur le Maire de Niafunk
5. Kaira - Toumani DiabatAli Farka Tour
6. Simbo
7. Ai Ga Bani
8. Soumbou Ya Ya
9. Naweye Toro
10. Kadi Kadi - Toumani Diabat, Ali Farka Tour
11. Gomni - Toumani Diabat, Ali Farka Tour
12. Hawa Dolo - Toumani Diabat, Ali Farka Tour

Album Description

In The Heart Of The Moon is the first full length album collaboration by these two great African musicians. The original idea for the album that they duet on just one track, but their creativity cold not be contained, and the result is an album's worth of material! There were no rehearsals, and the improvised performances were recorded over 3 magical 2 hour sessions at the Hotel Mand, on the banks of the Niger River, in Bamako, Mali. With Ali on acoustic guitar and Toumani's kora, there was some extraordinary interplay between the pair. Features 12 total tracks including 'Kala', 'Kaira', 'Nawer Toro', 'Hawa Dolo', 'Simbo', 'Mamadou Boutiquier' and more. Warner. 2005.

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Rock Music

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